Modular spinner roller

ABSTRACT

A spinner roller set adapted for use in an apparatus used to connect and disconnect threaded drilling tubulars includes a first and a second modular spinner roller that mounts independent drive and spacer discs on a central shaft. The setup is arranged so that the spinner rollers when in use can engage a small diameter tubular using the same setup as that for engaging a much larger diameter tubular. When a drive disc is in need of replacement, the worn drive disc can be removed from the central shaft and replaced with a new drive disc. The other drive discs and spacers can be reused.

PRIORITY CLAIM

This application is a continuation application of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 15/164,597 filed on May 25, 2016 with the sametitle which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

This invention is directed to apparatuses such as spinners, spinningwrenches, spinning tongs, and iron or hydraulic roughnecks (“spinners”)used for rotating drilling tubulars during oil and gas wellbore drillingoperations.

Drilling tubulars such as drill pipe, tubing, and casing (“tubulars”)are assembled by threading one section of tubular to the next. A spinnerprovides the clamping and rotational force needed to spin in or spin outthe threaded connection. The spinner includes arms with rollerassemblies that grip or clamp onto the tubular. When in the clampingposition, the tubular is contacted by a set of roller assemblies. Enoughclamping force must be exerted perpendicular to the tubular tocounteract the rotational force.

Using small diameter rollers for spinning small (outside) diametertubulars such as 2⅞″ or less presents a problem in achieving sufficientgripping coefficient on the tubular. Therefore, larger (outside)diameter rollers—with their greater contact area and better geometry fortransferring clamp force perpendicular to the torque force vector—arepreferred. However, the larger diameter rollers can interfere with oneanother as they engage a much smaller diameter pipe. Because of theinterference problem, some prior art spinners use multi-diameter rollersin which one roller provides the large contact surface and the opposingroller provides a recess to prevent interference.

EP 2 118 433 B1 discloses a set of solid body multi-diameter rollers inwhich one roller includes a projection and an opposing roller includes arecess for receiving at least part of the projection. The roller has nocentral shaft but is instead connected to the drive shaft of the spinnermotor by way of an upper spindle. When one roller wears, the entireroller assembly must be replaced.

A need exists to spin small diameter pipe with large diameter rollersyet avoid the interference problem and complete roller replacementproblem.

SUMMARY

A preferred embodiment of a spinner roller is made of up of a single-or, more preferably, a multi-diameter stack of independent drive discsand independent spacer discs arranged in a predetermined pattern. (Thesingle diameter embodiment is generally preferred for spinning tubularwhere a lower surface pressure is preferred.) A center shaft supportsthe drive discs and spacer discs and transmits torque to the drivediscs. Because the spinner roller is a modular assembly, when the drivediscs wear out the center shaft and spacer discs can be reused.

Objectives of this invention include providing a modular spinner rollerthat (1) can replace one or more drive discs without replacing theentire roller; (2) uses large diameter rollers to spin large to smalltubulars yet avoid the interference effects associated with largediameter rollers when spinning small diameter pipe; (3) can be used inretrofits of existing spinners; and (4) improves maintainability andreduces maintenance and replacement costs.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a preferred embodiment of an assembledmulti-diameter spinner roller for use in spinners such as, but notlimited to, a JIM 10™ hydraulic roughneck (Cameron InternationalCorporation).

FIG. 2 is an exploded assembly view of the spinner roller of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an isometric view of a setup of four spinner rollers engaginga small diameter (e.g. 2⅞″ or 2⅜″) tubular using the same setup as thatfor engaging a much larger diameter (e.g. 10″) tubular.

NUMBERING AND ELEMENTS USED IN THE DRAWINGS AND DETAILED DESCRIPTION

-   -   10 First modular spinner roller assembly    -   11 Center or central shaft    -   13 Independent drive disc    -   15 Spaced-apart grooves    -   17 Independent spacer disc    -   19 Central opening    -   20 Second modular spinner roller assembly    -   21 Recess (provided by 17 relative to 13)

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, a modular spinner roller 10 for use in anapparatus used to connect and disconnect threaded pipe includes acentral shaft 11 that receives an alternating set of independent drivediscs 13 and spacer discs 17. When in use in the apparatus, the discs 13contact and engage the outside diameter of the pipe sections beingconnected or disconnected. The drive discs 13 can have a smooth or flatsurface or can include a series of spaced-apart grooves or threads 15that gives improved grip (increasing friction) or can channel away anyfluids lying on the outside diameter of the pipe sections (therebyincreasing friction with the pipe).

The drive and spacer discs 13, 17 have a central opening 19 that iscomplementary in shape to the central shaft 11 to prevent relativerotation of the discs 13, 17 relative to the shaft 11 and transmittorque from the central shaft 11 to the drive disc 13. When the drivediscs 13 wear out, the drive discs 13 along with the spacer discs 13 canbe removed from the central shaft 11 and replaced.

The drive discs 13 and spacer discs 17 can have the same outsidediameter as one another, making spinner roller 10 a single diameterstack. Or, the discs 13, 17 can have different outside diameters thanone another, making spinner roller 10 a multi-diameter stack. The drivediscs 13 may also have different surfaces than one another (e.g. oneflat or smooth, another grooved or threaded).

When used as part of a spinner roller set, the drive discs 13 and spacerdiscs 17 of opposing modular spinner rollers 10, 20 can be offset fromanother. In this way, the spacer disc 17 of the second modular spinnerroller 20 provides a recess 21 to receive the drive disc 13 of the firstmodular spacer roller 10.

The modular spinner roller permits a worn drive disc to be replaced andthe remaining drive discs to be reused. A method includes the steps ofremoving one or more independent drive discs and spacers from a centralshaft of the spinner roller and replacing the worn drive disc with a newindependent drive disc mounted on the central shaft. Any other removedbut not worn-out drive disc and spacer disc can also be re-mounted ontothe central shaft.

The preferred embodiments described above and illustrated in the drawingfigures provide examples of the modular spinner roller. The followingclaims define the inventive spinner roller and cover the full range ofequivalents to which the recited elements of the claims are entitled.

What is claimed:
 1. A spinner roller set adapted for use in an apparatus used to connect and disconnect threaded drilling tubulars, the spinner roller set comprising: a first and a second modular spinner roller, the first and second modular spinner rollers including: a central shaft spanning a top to bottom distance of the spinner roller; and at least two independent drive discs mounted on and removable from the central shaft and spaced apart from one another by a spacer disc.
 2. A spinner roller set according to claim 1 further comprising one of the drive discs of the first modular spinner roller being arranged opposite a spacer disc of the second modular spinner roller.
 3. A spinner roller set according to claim 1 further comprising the spacer disc having a same outside diameter as the drive discs.
 4. A spinner roller set according to claim 1 further comprising the spacer disc having a different outside diameter than the drive discs.
 5. A spinner roller set according to claim 1 further comprising the drive discs and the spacer disc having a non-circular central opening complementary in shape to the central shaft.
 6. A spinner roller adapted for use in an apparatus used to connect and disconnect threaded drilling tubulars, the spinner roller comprising: a central shaft spanning a top to bottom distance of the spinner roller; and at least two independent drive discs mounted on and removable from the central shaft and spaced apart from one another by a spacer disc.
 7. A spinner roller according to claim 1 wherein the at least two independent drive discs have a different outside diameter than the spacer disc.
 8. A spinner roller set according to claim 1 further comprising the drive discs and the spacer disc having a non-circular central opening complementary in shape to the central shaft.
 9. A method of replacing a worn spinner roller use in an apparatus used to connect and disconnect threaded drilling tubulars, the method comprising the steps of: removing one or more independent drive discs and spacers from a central shaft of the spinner roller, at least one of the removed independent drive discs being a worn drive disc in need of replacement; and replacing the worn drive disc with a new independent drive disc, the new independent drive disc being mounted on the central shaft.
 10. A method according to claim 9 further comprising the step of reinstalling any other removed drive disc and spacer disc onto the central shaft. 